Yes, I'm Scared... And Furious.

I have been struggling with this hot topic for over a year, now, and despite the fact that the evidence (and outbreaks) are mounting, I'm still getting caught up in the vaccine debate. I've left, and been kicked out of, numerous homeschool groups and co-ops for touting my pro-vaccine stance. I have been eviscerated and berated by many a devout anti-vaxxer defending her choice. What alarms me is the viciousness of their convictions. Their apathy.

I'm tired of being nice. I'm tired of holding back.

This time, I'm not going to tout statistics and numbers or link to sources. This time, I'm just going to empty my brain out on the page to you, oh interwebs. It's been a while, so brace yourselves. 

Every time I get into a debate about vaccination, some anti-vaccination "expert" regurgitates the same information that I've been hearing for years, now. Let's start off by listing the most common "facts" touted by the anti-vaccination band-wagon, shall we?

1. Vaccinations cause autism.
1. No. No they don't. The doctor that made this claim has been disproven over and over again. He retracted his statement, admitted to being paid for saying that, and had his license pulled for it. If you think this is some kind of conspiracy, I'm sorry, but you're not using your critical thinking skills. 
2. Vaccinations contain potentially harmful toxins.
1. There are more potentially harmful toxins in a Chik-Fil-A chicken nugget than there are in a vaccine. Don't eat Chick-Fil-A? How about that wild-caught tuna you served up full of mercury for dinner the other night? Vegetarian? Think about all the things your child is exposed to during the day. How about the water he's drinking? Is it only from an all-natural mountain spring in the Himalayas that somehow doesn't get rainfall that's been exposed to any other part of the world with air pollution, filtered using reverse osmosis and then bottled in a sterilized glass bottle? No? Then he's probably getting his fair share of toxins. You know what's dangerous? Measles. Diphtheria. Polio. Small Pox. Do me a favor, anti-vaxxers. Google those and really, really look at the effects of those diseases. Tell me, how many kids do you know of that have actually DIED from an adverse reaction to a vaccine. Then look up the statistics on how many kids died of those viruses. Our generation hasn't been exposed to that shit (yet). It's essentially a myth to us. Let's NOT make it a reality.
3. There is no such thing as herd immunity.
1. You are telling me, that, these diseases were rampant and killed people frequently before vaccines were introduced, miraculously disappeared after more than 85% of the population had been inoculated against them, and now have started to reappear coinciding with a decline in vaccination... but there is no such thing as herd immunity? Are you sure you know what herd immunity is? Because that sounds like a load of bullshit to me. How about those underdeveloped countries that don't have access to vaccines, where things like measles are endemic and there are still outbreaks of deadly diseases? No, I'm sorry, it's not just an issue of clean drinking water - although that IS problematic because BACTERIA is commonly transmitted through unclean water. There are some viruses, such as enteroviruses, for instance, polio, hepatitis, and gastroenteritus that *can* be spread through contaminated water sources - mostly from human feces. However, measles is not. Measles is one of the leading causes of death in young children in developing countries, such as Africa. Yet, the spread of measles has nothing to do with "unclean" conditions. Not even proper hand washing can help stop the spread of the measles virus. You know what can? Vaccination.
4. My decision not to vaccinate only effects my child.
1. Nope. It effects everyone. 85% of the population needs to be vaccinated for a vaccine to offer protection to that population. It is not always 100% effective, which is why that number must be so high. Those who have been effectively vaccinated protect those who cannot (I'm not talking by choice. I'm talking about people who have a medical reason for which it is life-threatening for them to get a vaccine.) or whose bodies haven't built up an immune defense to a vaccination. This is how it works: You don't vaccinate your kid. They go to Disneyland and contract measles. The virus is dormant and asymptomatic (does not present any symptoms) but is still HIGHLY contagious for 4 days before the onset of symptoms. They go to, say, the store with you. Within 2 hours, I bring my IMMUNE SUPPRESSED child to the same store. Because measles can live for so long on a surface that your child merely BREATHED on, my child catches it. Meanwhile, your child is breaking out in a rash and you are worried, but his immune system can mount a defense against it, so he'll probably be fine. I'm sure he won't develop any of the more severe, but relatively common, side effects of measles. Such as pneumonia, encephalitis, deafness, brain damage or death. However, my child cannot be vaccinated against measles and has a weakened immune system, so she cannot mount a defense against it. She is almost certain not only to contract the virus from being exposed to it, but to develop one of the previously stated complications. But, hey... who cares. You narrowly avoided an uncommon and highly debatable "risk" by not vaccinating your kid. He's safe. 

Okay, let's stop there. I could go on and on and on with all the lovely "facts" of anti-vaccination. All these things, and more, have been quoted to me, time and time again when I cautiously tread into a vaccine debate. I had one person tell me that I couldn't possibly be getting my numbers from the CDC website, in fact, because it said there were only 13 cases of measles. I'm not sure which CDC website she went to, but as of January 27th at 2pm, it said there were 69 cases in the US, across 11 states, since January 1st, 2015. Most of those were in unvaccinated individuals.

Now, I'm not debating that there are rare incidents where children HAVE had an adverse reaction to a vaccine. It does happen. Most commonly, it's an allergic reaction and it can be very serious. My kid has anaphylactic allergic reactions to several things so I am very aware of how serious it is. These children, obviously, should NOT be vaccinated. They have a real, medical reason not to be. And, as such, can also benefit from herd immunity from people who CAN be. Does that mean that EVERYONE shouldn't be vaccinated? Should I be anti-egg and fish and anything else my kid is allergic to for EVERYONE because MY kid has a deadly allergic reaction to it? No. Because that wouldn't make sense, now would it? 

The bottom line is, I'm tired of this fear mongering and propaganda. It's putting my child, and countless others who are too young or have suppressed immune systems due to medical conditions, like organ or bone marrow transplants, cancer, immune disorders like sickle-cell anemia, at a REAL, life-threatening risk. While anti-vaxxers are getting their unverified info (Yes, unverified. Show me a real study result that is not credited to Dr. Mercola, the vitamin peddling "Dr." who makes a ton of money off your fear of vaccination) from people with questionable credentials off shady websites and I'll look into it. However, there is REAL evidence that vaccines pose far, FAR more benefits for EVERYONE in society, dating back over a hundred years with solid, verifiable research and countless studies (that have not been funded by people benefiting from the results), all over the WORLD. Actually, the first known vaccinations were in China in 1000 CE! Vaccination really started catching on in the mid to late 1700s. (But, it's a conspiracy, right?)

While vaccination will most-likely protect your child more than hurt him (even if he is one of the few that CAN'T be vaccinated due to an adverse reaction, thanks to herd immunity, which does exist!), it saves my child's life. While the breakdown of herd immunity puts your child at far more of a risk of contracting, and potentially dying, of a deadly disease than the risk a vaccine poses, the risk for my child is MUCH greater to both receive the vaccine, because her body can't even fight off the damaged virus, and contracting the actual diseases. She could DIE because these diseases, which had formerly been declared eradicated in the U.S., are now making a very rapid and intense comeback that just *happens* to coincide with the anti-vaccination movement. 

You want facts? My child caught a virus called CMV from an unvaccinated child a couple of years ago. This parent virus of the chicken-pox virus only causes a little bit of a runny nose in most people. For my kid? It required 4 months in and out of the hospital, 2 PICC lines, 2 rounds of low-grade chemotherapy (you want to talk to me about TOXINS?), pneumonia, a significantly increased risk (like 1 in 3) of leukemia and an possible episode of transplant rejection. That's a fact. Talk to me about your theories on risks of vaccination when I've held my kid down in the hospital day in and day out, having the stuffing poked out of her, because someone else didn't vaccinate their kid. 

So save me your rhetoric and your Machievellian attitudes toward those who are sick and have no choice, not to mention no defense against this. That's like saying smoking doesn't effect anyone but the smoker. You choose to smoke so F everyone else, right? You are AWESOME.

While you are busy being awesome and propagating fear about vaccination, I'm busy just trying to keep my kid alive. 

Anti-vaxxers, I do understand your fear, because I am not apathetic. I understand that you are afraid of exposing your child to something that could hurt them. Just as I am. Fear is a very powerful tool of persuasion. What I am arguing, however, is that - while your fear is primarily hypothetical, your choice as a group not to vaccinate your children poses a very real and life-threatening risk to children like mine. Furthermore, what you don't seem to understand, or believe, is that diseases like measles also pose far more of a threat to YOUR child than the vaccination for them does. I'm asking you to consider hundreds of years of research and statistics, across numerous countries the world over, over the words of a few people who are making a profit off your desire to protect your child.

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